Shares in the index of leading shares in London gains 0.4pc as Santa Rally
continues

The FTSE 100 rose for a sixth session in a row on the first day of trading since Christmas Eve, buoyed by another record close on Wall Street.

Shares in the index of leading shares added 29 points - or 0.4pc - to 6723 but volumes were low as traders stayed away from their desks amid travel disruption caused by poor weather conditions.

Worries over claims for storm and flood damage weighed on insurer RSA, which was among the biggest fallers - down 0.4pc.

BAE Systems and RBS were the biggest risers in early trading, rising 2.3pc and 1.5pc respectively as the Santa Rally continues - the index is now up 1.1pc so far this month.

Other main European stock markets rose on Friday. In Paris, the CAC gained 0.6pc to 4,245.72 points - it has not been open since Tuesday - and Frankfurt's DAX 30, which last traded on Monday, gained 0.74pc to 9,558.97 points.

Related Articles

Asian shares were mixed. Tokyo's Nikkei edged up 4.50 points to 16,178.94 - a fresh six-year high on Friday, while the yen sank further on speculation of more Bank of Japan monetary easing. Upbeat US data also supported the dollar which at one stage briefly broke the 105 yen barrier for the first time in five years.

US stock markets continued their 2013 bull run on Boxing Day and positive unemployment figures offered more evidence of a firming economy.

The Dow closed up 0.75pc to 16,479.88 at a record high for the sixth straight session. The S&P 500 added 0.47pc to 1,842.02, while the Nasdaq increased 0.28pc to 4,167.18.

The latest record came after US Labor Department data showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 338,000 from an adjusted 380,000 the previous week. Analysts had projected that 350,000 claims would be filed.